[00:00:00] Om Sahana Bhavatu, Sahana Bhunaktu, Sahaviryan Karavavahai, Tejasvi Navadhi Tamastu Mavidvishavahai. Om Shanti Good. Welcome back. We are still trying to conclude our study of the Bhagavad Gita. And I say that with a smile because our class has been interrupted several times. I was in India for a couple of weeks and then we had the very nice memorial service. It was so nice to see all of you at the memorial service. Last week it was very touching to see your commitment. And it was very, very important for me also just to share that with all of you.
[00:01:09] So today will be our final day of review. We've been reviewing the chapters of the Bhagavad Gita using both the outline, I hope you've printed out that outline, we'll talk about that in a moment, and using the English version so we can get the overview. But we've been beginning each class with recitation of Gita Dhyanam and we'll do that today as well. Very beautiful verses, the first, there are nine verses in Gita Dhyanam, the first says, taught to Arjuna, and these verses as you know traditionally recited before recitation of the Bhagavad Gita. The first of the verses, the Bhagavad Gita, which was taught to Arjuna by Lord Narayan himself, compiled by the Rishi Vyasa in the Mahabharata, the sacred rain of nectar in 18 chapters.
[00:02:05] So Mother Gita, I venerate you, destroyer of suffering. The verses are quite poetic, quite lovely. Repeat after me, please. Om Parthaya Pratibhadita, Bhagavata, Om Parthaya Pratibhadita, Narayanena Swayam, Narayanena, Vyasena Kratitampurana Munina, Vyasena Kratitampurana, Madhyemaha Bharatam. Madhyemaha Bharata, Advaithamrata, Advaithamrata Varshanim Bhagavatim, Ashtada Shadhyayanim, Ashtada Shadhyayim, Ambatva Manusanda Dhamim, Ambatva Manusanda. Salutation is to you, Vyasa, whose intellect is vast, whose eyes are like petals of a lotus, by whom the lamp filled with the oil of the Mahabharata was lit with the flame of knowledge.
[00:03:32] Namaste. Pranapurna, Prajwalito Jnana Mayah Pradipaha, Salutations to Krishna, who blesses the surrendered, in whose hands are a staff and a symbol of knowledge, who milks the Gita's nectar. Prajwalito Jnana Mayah Pradipaha, Gita Amrita Duhe Namah, The Upanishads are cows, Krishna the cowherd, Arjuna the calf, and we, the wise people, enjoy the sacred nectar, milked from the Gita.
[00:04:59] Sarvopanishadogavo, dogdhagopalanandana, dogdhagopalan, parthovatsasudhirbhokta, parthovatsasudhir, dugdhamgitaamrtaamahata, dugdhamgitaamrtaamahata. I revere Krishna, teacher of all, son of Vasudeva, destroyer of Kansa and Chanura, delight of Devaki. Together. Vasudeva sutam devam kamsa chanuramardhanam devaki paramanandam krishnam vande jagat gurum. Bhishma and Drona are the river, this is the metaphor. The river represents a battlefield, the battlefield of the Mahabharata, metaphorically represented by a river. Bhishma and Drona are the river's banks. Jadratha, it's water. Shakuni, a blue lily. Shalya, a shark. Kripa, it's current. Karna, the waves. Krasvatama, Vikarna, crocodiles, and Duryodhana, of course, is the whirlpool, sucking everyone in. This river of battle was crossed by the Pandavas with Sri Krishna as the boatman.
[00:06:26] Bhishma, Drona, tata, jayadra, tajala, Bhishma, Drona, tata, jayadra, gandhara, nilodpala, shalya, grahavati, kripe, navahani, shalya, grahavati, kripe, karne, navela, kulaha. Karne, navela, ashvatthama, vikarnaghora, makara, ashvatthama, vikarnaghora, Duryodhana, vartanin, sotirna, kalupandavaira, nanadi, sotirna, kalupandavaira, kai vartaka keshavaha, The Mahabharata, which is a lotus born of Vyasa's words, whose fragrance is a Gita, whose petals are the stories, blossomed by Sri Krishna's discourse. It is enjoyed each day by the good people of the world. It destroys suffering. May it, the Mahabharata, bring us liberation.
[00:07:50] Pārāśāryavacassa roja mamalam, Pārāśāryavacassa roja, gītārta gandhot katam, gītārta gandhot, nānā khyānaka khesaram harikatha, nānā khyānaka khesaram, sambodhana bodhitam, Pārāśāryavacassa roja mamalam, pīya-pīya-mānam-mūdā, pīya-mānam-mūdā, bhu-yād-bhārata-pāṅkajam-kārimala, bhu-yād-bhārata-pāṅkajam-kali, pradvamsi-na-śrēyase, pradvamsi-na-śrēyase. I revere Śrī Kṛṣṇa, source of ānanda, by whose grace the mute become eloquent and the lame cross mountains.
[00:09:01] Mūkāṅkāroti-vā-chālam, Mūkāṅkāroti-vā, pāṅgung-langhāyate-girīm, pāṅgung-langhāyate-yat-kṛpā-tamaham-vande-yat-kṛpā-tamaham-vande-yat-kṛpā-tamaham-vande-yat-kṛpā-tamaham-vande-yat-kṛpā-tamaham-vande-yat-kṛpā-tamaham-vande-paramānanda-madhavam-paramā-mandam. And the last verse, salutations to God, praised by Brahma, Varuna, Indra, Rudra and Maruts, invoked by chanting the Vedas and Upanishads, the one who Yogis realize with meditative minds, the one whose greatness is not known even to the devas and demons. Yam Brahma-varunendra-Rudra-marutaha, Yam Brahma-varunendra-Rudra-stunvanti-divyaystavaihi, stunvanti-divyaystav, vedai-sāṅga-parakramopanishadair, vedai-sāṅga-parakramopar, Gāyantiyam-sāṅga-gāyantiyam-sāṅga-gāyantiyam-sāṅga-dhyāna-vastita-tad-gatena-manasāṁ,.
[00:10:20] Dhyana Vastita Tad Pashyantiyam Yogi No Yasyantam Navidu Sura Suragana Yasyantam Navidu Sura Devayatasmay Namaha very nice if you'd like to have a copy of this to chant at home it's posted on our website as is that summary we've been using and that's what we want to return to right now we've been using this summary which gives for each chapter it gives a summary of the contents of each chapter on the far left column remember is the one speaking here K meaning Krishna then it shows the verse numbers the subject matter and on the far right side is important verses verse numbers and I encourage you to get a copy of this from our website print it out it'll be a great reference and the purpose of the summary as I've mentioned before is so that in the coming months and years when you want to find something in the Bhagavad Gita you know where to look.
[00:11:44] otherwise if you have a particular verse in mind if you have to look through all 700 verses to find it you won't bother but with the help of this outline I bet you can locate in just a few minutes the verse or topic you're looking for that's the purpose and remember that in our earlier summary classes we discussed how the Bhagavad Gita is comprised of three what is it what in English septad is that true no sept is seven I'm not sure heptad I'm not sure the Latin for a group of six anyway in Sanskrit shatka six group three groups of six chapters it falls in into this hex head okay whatever it is so here we have come to the final set of six verses six chapters which is chapters 13 through 18 which could be related to the word asi in the Mahavakya Tattvamasi and the subject matter of the these middle I'm sorry final six chapters is mostly jnanam in our last class jnanam knowledge spiritual knowledge.
[00:13:08] spiritual knowledge and that which is required for the sake of spiritual knowledge in our meditation session we had a lot of discussion about the preparation of the mind and some of you will remember that in chapter 13 there's a set of 20 values a manitvam a dambitvam a himsa etc which has verses 7 through 11 so verses 7 through 11 giving you those values giving you that kind of knowledge which is required to prepare your mind for the Vedantic wisdom the Vedantic knowledge and we saw in our last class we saw chapter 13 so we're going to set that aside and move on to chapters 14 through 18 and I want to point out that the subject matter of jnanam includes knowledge of the mind in fact it's nice we had that long discussion in the meditation session most of you were here where we discussed how there's such a problem with the mind's capacity to remove obstacles to knowledge there's so many obstacles to gaining this knowledge those obstacles are in our mind and so it's not surprising that a good amount of teachings in the Bhagavad Gita is devoted to addressing the problems of our mind.
[00:14:35] is devoted to addressing the problems of our mind in fact it's possible no other scripture pays so much attention to our minds and you might think the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali does focus on the mind but only from the standpoint of meditation not so much in a general sense on the other hand the chapters of the Bhagavad Gita in particular chapters 14 16 17 and 18 chapters 14 skip 15 but then 16 17 and 18 which means a great part of this final section of the Bhagavad Gita is dedicated to knowledge of your mind it's very psychological in nature chapter 14 which we'll see in just a moment is dealing with the three Gunas the three qualities of your mind then in chapter 16 we come to the divine and demonic attributes of your mind and chapter 16 and 17 I'm sorry chapter 17 and the first half of chapter 18 you'll see is deeply rooted in these in the use of the three Gunas.
[00:15:58] as a mode of explanation for our behavior and how our minds work so it's a very wonderful psychological analysis mostly based on the three Gunas you remember Sattva Rajas Tamas refer and referring to qualities of our mind but not just qualities of the mind in ancient times as you might recall from our past discussions these three Gunas were as part of the world view means the world consists of three Gunas just as we consider based on modern science we consider the world to be made of matter and energy right in the same way in ancient times in a pre-scientific culture they considered the world to be composed of these three Gunas Sattva the principle of purity and balance Rajas principle of activity and passion and Tamas principle of darkness and lethargy and if the entire world is made of three Gunas is your mind part of the world or not that's it so therefore that threefold analysis is applied to the mind starting with chapter 14 Guna traya vibhaga Yoga the separation of the Guna traya of the three Gunas and passion and Tamas principle of darkness and lethargy and if the entire world is made of three Gunas is your mind part of the world or not?
[00:17:11] so therefore that threefold analysis is applied to the mind starting with chapter 14 Guna traya vibhaga Yoga vibhaga the separation of the Guna traya of the three Gunas to get the overview of the chapter we're going to continue to use the English version which is someplace here this is yeah and for the first verse you can listen and repeat then we'll recite together and the reason we've returned to this English version is it allows us to get a summary of the chapter very quickly I May pause us in our chanting several times to explain as we go through let me check my notes okay so you'll see it in the opening part after a very brief introduction we go right into a discussion of the three Gunas first you can listen and repeat then we'll chant together the blessed Lord said again I shall declare to you again I shall declare.
[00:18:28] the highest knowledge ultimate the highest knowledge hold knowing which all the sages reached knowing which all the sage the goal supreme from bondage freed we'll chant together Sattva Rajas thomas these three are qualities from nature born they all bind the eternal Self to the body this finite form sorry Sattva free from him purity shine so perfect and flawlessly yet it binds by attaching one to both knowledge and happiness raja's passionate tendencies born of craving and clinging love binds every soul embodied here through attachment to selfish works thomas rising from ignorance causes delusion for mankind it binds one by negligence sleep and lethargy each of these three can dominate is stronger than the other two.
[00:19:58] when Sattva rises prevalent the light of knowledge will arise when Rajas rises these ensue greed agitation and desire with thomas foremost these emerge delusion harer lethargy from Sattva one gains higher births and due to Rajas mundane births those remaining in thomas low two inferior births descend but when this truth is recognized these qualities do cause all acts knowing what is beyond the three one attains state supreme pause here just a very important teaching just to point out these three qualities are qualities of your mind and we do following the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita including these highly psychological teachings we do work our best at improving the quality of our minds and as I said earlier we need to improve our mind sufficiently for the sake of gaining this Vedantic wisdom the knowledge of the ancient Rishis but let's be very careful here.
[00:21:25] our minds are composed of the three Gunas which are aspects of nature prakriti is a word used in chapter 14 and the question is through this process of improving the mind which is natural when will the natural mind attain a condition of perfection huh perfection in nature please go outside and find a perfect tree defined as a tree that has no broken branches no decay no missing bark no dead leaves find one tree like that do you remember many years ago I made a joke some of you will remember this I call this a Martha Stewart designer tree a perfect tree well that perfect tree might exist in a store made of plastic but in nature there is no such tree nature is what it is and the reason we're making this point is let's be very clear.
[00:22:49] our minds will never achieve a state of perfection any more than our bodies can achieve a state of perfection we're not after a state of mental or physical perfection we're after knowledge that removes the ignorance that causes suffering fortunately you don't need a perfect mind for the sake of this knowledge you need an adequately prepared mind and the teachings that we're seeing here in chapter 14 and elsewhere are plenty to help you get an adequately prepared mind let's be very clear we're not seeking perfection and just before we return to this a favorite quotation of Pujya Swami Dayananda is what? Many of you know this, right? He's famous for this statement in psychology there's no solution meaning there's no solution to the problem of imperfection in psychology there's no solution in Vedanta there's no problem he's famous for that statement think about it okay, let's continue verse 20 transcending these three qualities embodied souls are then released.
[00:24:16] from pain of birth, death and old age attaining immortality Arjuna said by what marks can I recognize those who transcend these qualities how did they rise above the three? How do they act, O Lord tell me? The blessed Lord said observing with indifference undisturbed by the qualities knowing the three perform all acts they remain firm, unwavering alike in honor and disgrace same friend, enemy abandoning all selfish deeds they transcend the three qualities those who serve me unceasingly through devotional practices transcending all three qualities in Brahman they are fit to merge so short chapter has just 27 verses there's one more verse which was not included in this summary to transcend the qualities means what? The qualities belong to the body and mind.
[00:25:46] to transcend the qualities of the body and mind to transcend Sattva rajasthamas means to recognize your true nature as consciousness satcharananda which is utterly unaffected by the qualities of the body and the qualities of the mind so to recognize your true nature as consciousness is what it is to transcend the qualities and to return to our summary so here we have a brief summary of that chapter and notice verses 5 to 8 unfolded the nature of the three Gunas the effects of each Gunas transcending the Gunas Arjuna's question who transcends and Shri Krishna's answer so if you have a question about Gunas what chapter will you turn to?
[00:26:38] chapter 14 got it then chapter 15 when you look at these last six chapters 13 through 18 chapter 15 sticks out a little bit and it sticks out in the sense that it doesn't flow very nicely and we don't know how these teachings were compiled we do know that one single person named Vyasa could not possibly have composed 100,000 verses of the Bhagavad Gita we just that's just common sense so the Mahabharata was compiled and its compilation comes from many sources many great saints many great Rishis and we don't know how did chapter 15 get compiled there one thing we do know the fact that whatever has been compiled to be part of the Bhagavad Gita is extremely important so by saying that chapter 15 sticks out I'm not saying it shouldn't be there I'm not saying it's less important I'm simply saying it sticks out that's all it's really beautiful it's really an important chapter and it's really I'm pausing and smiling searching for a better word.
[00:28:08] I can't find a better word if you want to say one of the chapters of the Bhagavad Gita is very quote mystical chapter 15 is a very mystical chapter why? It uses some pretty obscure symbolism chapter 15 called Purushottama Yoga Purushottama, the highest aspect of Lord is the final topic of the chapter however begins with this strange metaphor of an ashwata tree whose roots are up in the heavens and whose branches extend into the earth so it begins with this very obscure mystical metaphor it proceeds to talk about Ishvara who is present within us all and it goes on to distinguish who is Purushottama what is the highest aspect of Ishvara of which is Brahman is the subject matter of the chapter let's see the English verses and then we'll go through that alright we can chant together so it begins with this metaphor of the tree of life and then it proceeds to talk about Ishvara when Shri Krishna says I abide in all beings Shri Krishna is speaking as Ishvara.
[00:29:38] so Shri Krishna speaking as Ishvara says he abides in all beings you'll see that's the second topic of this chapter we'll chant together the blessed Lord said the tree of life has roots above Vedic hymns are its many leaves branches and roots hang down below into the world of human acts its form here cannot be perceived nor its start, its middle or end its trunk though sturdy can be cut by detachment the mighty hacks free from delusion and from pride with detachment they seek the Self transcending all realities they attain the eternal state there the sun's light can never reach nor the light of the moon or fire reaching there they do not return that is my own supreme abode you see why I say this is mystical so it begins with that strange metaphor with the tree with its roots in the heavens and then talking about the about that there the sun's light can never reach.
[00:31:06] nor the light of the moon or fire reaching there they meaning those who have detachment who seek Ishvara they do not return that is my own supreme abode a part of myself in the world has become the eternal soul then that part drew unto itself body, mind and sense faculties presiding over sight and touch hearing taste and a sense of smell ruling over the mind as well it perceives and enjoys all things it abides in the hearts of all with eyes of wisdom this is seen but those deluded and impure cannot see this though they May strive the brilliance of the sun above illumining the world so vast and the splendor of moon and fire understand that light to be mine my energy pervades the earth sustaining all the creatures I myself nourish every plant.
[00:32:35] being the sap of life itself as the digestive fire within in every creature I abide united with their life and breath I consume all the foods they eat being the source of memory in the land of knowledge and reasoning I abide in the hearts of all through the Vedas we'll pause here so this middle begins with that strange metaphor of the tree the middle part talking about Ishvara's presence as the soul as the essence of every person and now we come to the last part very short chapter just 20 verses the last part talking about who is Purushottama what is that highest aspect of reality of Ishvara in this world two beings exist perishing and unperishing creatures are all perishable but their souls perish not at all beyond these two is the highest truth the fifth is called the Self supreme having pervaded all the worlds the Lord sustains and blesses all.
[00:34:05] since I transcend what perishes also the imperishable therefore I am the Self supreme praised in his hand the world the undeluded know me well as the highest the Self supreme thus enlightened they worship me with their whole hearts and with their minds oh Arjuna I have declared this most secret teaching of all knowing this truth one can become enlightened and fulfilled in life Self supreme is a translation of Purushottama literally the highest person highest reality so this is chapter 15 which is only 20 verses long it's the shortest verse in the Bhagavad Gita chapter 12 also is only 20 verses most chapters are longer than that and to return to our summary Purushottama Yoga so we see in the first verses the tree of world day life we see in the middle part talking about Krishna who is within all beings the support of all beings.
[00:35:35] and then finally we have the description of that supreme reality Purushottama which is beyond everything and knowledge of that and that is the very short chapter 15 following chapter 15 of course is what a question what follows if I ask you what is after chapter 15 gee maybe sorry chapter 16 daiva asura sampat vibhaga Yoga is the whole title so Yoga means subject matter or chapter name so the chapter which deals with the vibhaga the division of sampat of these collections of qualities which are either daiva or asura daiva means of the devas godly divine asura means of the asuras that which is demonic so divine and demonic traits which are traits of human beings this is we're back to psychology this is like a chap this could be a chapter from a psychology book on personality types so it reads a little bit like that and of course the purpose of this is not to analyze.
[00:37:04] a very important point let me make this I said this several times during our study of chapter 16 the purpose of this study is not for us to categorize others oh he's and we do this oh he's very rajasic oh he's so tamasic and now we have new words oh he has these asura sampat no the purpose of these teachings is not to categorize or analyze others it's only for Self understanding for us to understand our own quirks as it were every one of us has satura Rajas and Tamas no human being is without Rajas and Tamas in the same way no human being is without some asura qualities some demonic qualities Carl Jung the famous Austrian or German psychologist said that we all have a shadow that's true every person's mind has some dark elements and the point is we should know those dark elements there's a tendency many people have to avoid certain things in life and to avoid certain things in our own minds and hearts.
[00:38:33] and to try to avoid things in ourselves is both psychologically unhealthy and spiritually unhelpful by avoiding our defects by avoiding our bad qualities we first of all we fail to deal with them psychologically and secondly they become obstacles to our spiritual growth we must deal with them but one last comment before we see the English version in dealing with our shall we call them inner demons that's a nice term in dealing with our inner demons we can never afford to lose objectivity which means and this happens to some people we get so focused on our inner demons we get so focused on what's wrong with us we lose perspective and we fail to appreciate what's good many people have this problem we focus on our defects we focus on what's wrong with us because we all have problems but here's a huge trap you we all have many problems but without exception our good qualities far outnumber our undesirable qualities that's true for each and every one of us.
[00:40:02] our good qualities far outnumber our problems but we May have a tendency to focus our attention on the problems and to ignore all those good qualities that leads to low Self-esteem and a variety of psychological problems it's extremely unhealthy so as we go through this chapter and also the next chapter and a half we'll get more of this all this psychological Self-analysis so let's understand clearly the psychological Self-analysis is crucial to uncover our hidden demons our defects, our problems to expose them to the light and to work at resolving those problems in that process let us never lose perspective and become so narrowly focused on what's wrong that we fail to appreciate our many, many good qualities our many blessings so we never want to lose perspective always to stay grounded in the objective view of who we are as good people working hard to remove whatever problems or difficulties are there so with that brief introduction let us see the English version this is chapter 16.
[00:41:32] Daiva Asura Sampat Vibhaga and we'll chant together the blessed Lord said charity purity of heart Self-control and simplicity piety and serenity compassion freedom from desire let me ask you are we talking about Daiva or Asura Sampat?
[00:42:02] don't you think? And it's kind of cute I'm using that word cute a little oddly here it's cute that Shri Krishna in giving us this chapter he gives us very briefly the Daiva Sampat at the beginning and what is the rest of the chapter? That's right alright let's continue courage patience and fortitude modesty and benevolence O Arjuna these attributes are known as qualities divine arrogance and hypocrisy vanity and hostility ignorance and like attitudes are considered demonic traits divine traits unto freedom lead demonic traits in bondage hold O Arjuna you need not grieve you were born with the traits divine in the world are two kinds of men the demonic and the divine demonic people falsely say the world is godless and unreal with minds depraved by such wrong views.
[00:43:32] they ravage the world with brutal hacks driven by unquenchable greed and by arrogance pride and lust bound by cravings a hundredfold compelled by fear and desire they seek to satisfy their thirst hoarding wealth gained by unjust means thinking who is as great as me led astray by deluded thoughts ensnared by sensuality into terrible hells they fall I cast those loathsome wicked into demonic wombs again deluded in birth after birth they descend to the lowest plane threefold are the main gates to hell desire anger greed are they we from these tamasic traits can strive to reach the highest goal but those who scorn the scriptures rules heeding their own urges instead they cannot gain the.
[00:45:02] highest goal nor perfection or happiness therefore let scripture be your guide for what should and should not be done knowing the precepts there prescribed you should act as they so decree very straightforward chapter what a contrast to chapter fifteen which was so mystical this one is very practical very down to earth look inside and distinguish the inner demons from the inner saints you know that western depiction on one shoulder is the angel on the other shoulder is the devil so this has somewhat the same orientation here in chapter sixteen let's see the summary once again very brief where it opens with Shri Krishna describing first the divine traits then the demonic traits goes on to talk about rebirth due to demonic traits and finally concludes that we need to use the scriptures for the sake of this analysis for the sake of recognizing what is divine and once again some reference verses on the right hand side which can be useful for finding important verses.
[00:46:30] so chapter sixteen is followed by chapter seventeen sixteen is followed by seventeen Shraddha traya vibhaga Yoga three kinds of Shraddha means faith but we find in the chapter it's not limited to only three kinds of Shraddha three kinds of course three kinds would mean sattvika Shraddha rajasa Shraddha and tamasa Shraddha so of the three Gunas but then the chapter goes on to talk not only about three kinds of Shraddha but three kinds of ahara food three kinds of yajna sacrifice three kinds of tapas austerity and three kinds of charity dana so all of this analysis is analysis of our minds analysis of our behavior and if you remember our classes we focused a lot on motivation and the link between mind and behavior that word that's what we're talking about right the nature of our mind and the nature of our behavior and the crucial link between mind and behavior is motivation is what arises in your mind and gives rise to behavior so we spent a lot of time talking about what motivates us.
[00:48:00] what motivates us to have different kinds of food what motivates us to partake in different kinds of activity what motivates us to give charity are we giving money out of the generosity of our spirit or are we giving money to manipulate and control or are we giving money I gave the example are we giving money to the wrong people to the wrong organization are you giving money to al-qaeda people do that you know that in this country people send money like that so this is the idea so charity that's charity is it not so this is the analysis an analysis of our motivation and then it concludes with this section on Om tat sat let's see the English version of chapter 17 "Hajna said those who worship with faithful hearts but ignore the scriptural rules O Krishna how is their faith based on Sattva Rajas or Tamas the blessed Lord said O Harjuna.
[00:49:30] threefold is faith according to one's temperament people are molded by their faith as they believe so they become those who with Sattva are endowed offer their worship to the gods those with Rajas to spirits give those with Tamas to hordes of ghosts those who perform harsh penances driven by ego and desire torturing their own bodies thus know them to have demonic traits sacrifice penance charity are also known of as three kinds sattvic rajasic tamasic to their distinctions listen now sacrifice is called sattvic when performed in scriptural accord not for the sake of gaining grace but just because it should be done sacrifice is rajasic when offered to gain desired hens or performed with hypocrisy to appear pious.
[00:51:00] and devout sacrifice is tamasic when done despising scriptural rules lacking Mantras devoid of faith without offering homes and food penances are called sattvic when done not for the sake of results they are rajasic when performed to gain respect or reverence penances are tamasic when delusion casts its wicked spell and one's own body is abused or harm to others is the goal charity is called sattvic when given at proper time and place to a deserving person who has never given gifts to you charity is rajasic when given with hopes of recompense or gaining heaven's rewards or when given reluctantly charity is tamasic when given at the wrong time or place or given to unworthy ones.
[00:52:30] or when given with disrespect by the sacred invocation Om tat sat Om the truth Vedic chanting and sacrifice were thus begun in ancient times therefore home is recited first before all acts of sacrifice or of penance or charity performed as scriptures so ordained sacrifice penance charity without devotion lacking faith are worthless and will yield no fruits not here or in one's future lives that is the end of chapter seventeen Shraddha traya three kinds of Shraddha but as you saw it dealt not only with three kinds of Shraddha faith but three kinds of ahara food three kinds of sacrifice yajna actually ahara will come later three kinds of tapas austerity three kinds of dana actually the ahara was left out of the summary and then ended with that section on Om tatsat the point of this chapter then is as another guideline for looking into our own hearts.
[00:54:00] and asking ourselves what is the motivation for our behavior and in that chapter remember our discussion I said the most difficult spiritual practice but the spiritual practice that will lead to the maximum spiritual growth is a very simple practice what is it for everything you do everything means everything for everything you do to ask yourself the question why am I doing this when you go to work in the morning why am I doing this when you're eating food why am I eating this when you're watching TV why am I watching that it's a tough practice but you will learn so much about yourself by asking that question why what is the motivation for every act and that's really the essence of chapter 17 which leads us to chapter 18 having 78 verses I think is the longest chapter of the Bhagavad Gita and if you look at it's called Moksha Sannyasa Yoga because it deals with that topic at the beginning Moksha liberation Sannyasa renunciation but if you look down of and in.
[00:55:30] look down to verses 19 and 22 three kind three kinds of knowledge three kinds again means Sattva Rajas Tamas so three kinds of knowledge three kinds of action three kinds of agent three kinds of intellect three kinds of resolve three kinds of happiness do you see this three-fold analysis in terms of Sattva Rajas and Tamas continues in the first half of chapter 18 so this analysis began with verse with chapter 14 skip chapter 15 chapter 16 was psychological analysis instead of three Gunas it was analysis in terms of daiva and asura but then right back in chapter 17 three Gunas and here the first half of chapter 18 analysis in terms of three Gunas that comprises most of the first half of chapter 18 the last half of chapter 18 is a summary of the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita and a kind of leading out of the Bhagavad Gita reconnecting the Bhagavad Gita to the story of the Mahabharata we'll see that as we go ahead I have to point out that in the summary in the English verse summary that we're going to chant in just a minute a lot of the this material.
[00:56:57] from verses 19 to 44 were omitted deliberately from that English version and if you're wondering why was it omitted from the English version was actually written with children and teens in mind and this particular material was material that I didn't judge it looked like children and teens would not relate to it of course I was very surprised to discover that not only children and teens like the English version but as a result this section is omitted and that's the reason why it was omitted not that it's unimportant but only that it was material that children couldn't exactly relate to so our summary will be abbreviated skipping these verses from 19 through 44 so let's turn to the English version of chapter 18 and we'll pause a couple of times just to observe what's going on so you'll see that chapter 18 begins by turning to one of the favorite topics of the Bhagavad Gita Arjuna is still looking for an excuse not to fight that started in chapter one and two and three and four and it continues here in chapter 18 Arjuna is still looking for a reason not to fight and that's the opening topic.
[00:58:24] then we get into that big topic of the analysis in terms of three Gunas we'll see that as we chant Arjuna said O Krishna this I want to know how to discern the difference between surrender of works fruits and renouncing the worldly life the blessed Lord said to renounce is to cease from works perform for one's own sake alone surrender his to disown the fruits of all deeds as an offering sacrifice, penance, charity these works are not to be renounced they should be done not seeking fruits but because they have been ordained does it sound like Karma Yoga? It should so notice the prevalence of Karma Yoga as a topic it was a prevalent topic in chapters 2, 3, 4 and 5 and here it comes back in a big way in chapter 18 in the entire Bhagavad Gita one of the most dominant topics is definitely Karma Yoga and we'll see that for another couple of verses here renouncing obligated works thinking wrongly his tamasic.
[00:59:54] avoiding duties so despised fearing distress is rajasic performing actions as enjoined without attachment to their fruits deeming them duties to be done to renounce thus is Sattva's view not avoiding repulsive tasks nor attached to delightful deeds giving up the fruits of one's works such is a true renunciate and isn't that just what he said in chapters 4 and 5 where Shri Krishna showed Karma Yoga is a kind of renunciation to renounce your own agenda to renounce raga to renounce being motivated only by raga dvesha it's a kind of renunciation involved in Karma Yoga ok deluded people take the Self to be the agent of all works but those the wise and egoless are not bound by their deeds at all knowledge knower and what is known these impel actions of all kinds means of action.
[01:01:23] agent and act these factors are involved as well pause and this is the section that is left out and now we come to the last part of chapter 18 which is first comes a summation of some of the most important teachings of the Bhagavad Gita a summary comes followed by the closing passages of the Bhagavad Gita those who worship the source of all pervading the whole universe by fulfilling duties enjoined unto perfection they attain doing one's duties poorly though surpasses doing others well performing deeds rightly ordained no one ever commits a sin duty should never be forsworn even when problems interfere all deeds entail some obstacles like a fire enshrouded by smoke those free from all attachments here disciplined and ever content having ceased from all selfish deeds they have renounced most perfectly.
[01:02:53] O Arjuna now learn from me how one can gain the perfect state how Brahman is to be obtained through this knowledge the ultimate those endowed with intelligence Self-controlled and dispassionate purified and contemplative in Brahman they are fit to merge absorbed in Brahman they attain supreme devotion unto me thus they know my reality and thereafter they enter me go for refuge to that alone with your whole heart O Arjuna then being blessed you will attain the state of endless peace supreme thus unto you I have explained of all knowledge the most concealed reflect on this entirely then go and do whatever you choose be devoted and worship me offer sacrifice unto me then you shall surely come to me.
[01:04:23] this I promise for you our dear abandon every other goal and seek refuge in me alone I shall release you from all sin be not sorrowful do not grieve Arjuna have you listened now with a completely focused mind has your ignorance been destroyed has your confusion been removed Arjuna said O Krishna by your holy grace my confusion has been destroyed and my composure has returned as you command so shall I do Sanjaya said thus I heard this great dialogue of Lord Krishna and Arjuna this secret Yoga I did hear directly from the Lord himself O King as I recall once more that remarkable dialogue I am astonished and amazed I rejoice again and again where Krishna.
[01:05:53] Lord of Yoga is with the great Archer Arjuna there his glory victory wealth and most certainly righteousness which concludes chapter 18 the final chapter of the Bhagavad Gita and the first part of the summary we already looked at and even though those verses are missing in the English it's present in the summary is complete so you can find reference to those three kinds of knowledge three kinds of Karma etc. And then the last part perfection of action quality is necessary for perfection it's still that topic of Karma Yoga and then comes the summary knowledge of Krishna don't be overpowered by your nature seek refuge in the divinity within and then the closing sections of the Bhagavad Gita the final instructions to Arjuna and what we've just seen so and the verses on the right hand side are very important verses you can look up those verses so I encourage you to get a copy of this summary and it'll be a good resource take this and stick it inside your Bhagavad Gita that's it so when you open up the Bhagavad Gita this reference is right there and available for you let me before we conclude some final comments we.
[01:07:23] we want to make some final observations the Bhagavad Gita is without doubt the most widely studied Hindu scripture for a lot of good reasons the primary reason in my opinion is that it offers profound spiritual teachings in the context of a battlefield that battlefield as you remember is symbolic of our entire lives so we could say that the Bhagavad Gita is spiritual teachings for the battlefield of life very profound very helpful it's wonderful now to have finished teaching the Bhagavad Gita here in Nisasham for the third time in fifteen years we're finishing it for the third time I taught once before so this is the fourth time I've taught the entire Bhagavad Gita I'm really looking forward to the fifth time but not just yet so why because there are many other wonderful teachings also teachings for the battlefield what battlefield are we talking about? The battlefield of the Mahabharata which is why starting next week next Saturday we're going to start looking at other teachings from the Mahabharata so the.
[01:08:52] Bhagavad Gita as you know is a seven hundred verse excerpt from the Mahabharata do you think it's the only seven hundred verses that are important in the entire hundred thousand verse scripture? No there are many sections filled with profound Vedantic teachings that can help us tremendously and again set in that same context of the battlefield of life so we'll begin that starting next Saturday on our website you'll find the if you like to print out the slides in advance you'll find the slides will be on our website the recordings will also be on the website and as I mentioned earlier if you have a friend or relative who might like to join us coming at the beginning is a good thing so they have a chance to come and join us from the beginning of our study of the Mahabharata so the first class next Saturday will be an introduction to the Mahabharata to get us oriented properly before we go into those wonderful Vedantic teachings I'm really looking forward to it I've selected I forget the number like 2-3 thousand verses I've already selected I can't remember how many it'll probably take us 3-4 years we've spent 4 years going through this Bhagavad Gita 4 years gone where's our.
[01:10:22] what's happening months and years are just going anyway are we in a hurry? Where are we going? We're in no hurry there's nowhere to rush and get to so we May spend 3-4 years going through other parts of the Mahabharata and then after that we'll see if it's the right time for our 5th time of the Bhagavad Gita I don't know we'll decide when we get there so I'm looking forward to sharing all of that with you and this has really been just wonderful for me to share these teachings of the Bhagavad Gita with you once again some announcements tomorrow Sunday at Arsha Vidya Gurukalam our parent Ashram in the Poconos they are having their memorial service for Pujya Swami Dayananda as you know he passed away on September 23rd his Mahasamadhi was on the 23rd so their memorial service is scheduled for tomorrow at 11:15am I invite all of you I encourage you all to come I'm going to be attending it I'm also canceling tomorrow morning's children's classes so that no one is restricted so I guess it's my feeling very strongly that this is a time to come together.
[01:11:51] and to offer our respect and reverence for Pujya Swamiji and here's one more opportunity you were all here I think for our memorial service last week and as I said before it was a wonderful memorial service I'm sure their memorial will also be wonderful so please come join us at Arsha Vidya in the Poconos tomorrow at 11:15am our evening classes will continue as normal so 5pm the mindful awareness meditation will occur tomorrow at 5pm and satsang, question and answer period with me at 6:15am so please join us tomorrow evening this coming Friday we have the second meeting of our new Sadika Sangha program the Sadika Sangha means Association of Seekers is a program meant to offer satsang during the week and especially for people who are retired or who are home during the day many of you came last week it's a nice program it's a nice opportunity for satsang it's led by Vasanti she has a nice program planned so if you're free on Saturday morning or if you know of someone who's like stuck at home and doesn't have anything worthwhile to do encourage them to come or maybe even arrange a ride for them if they need a ride so the Sadika Sangha program Friday morning at 10am this coming Saturday as I said we will begin our study of the Mahabharata.
[01:13:20] invite anyone that you think might be interested it's good to have them come for the first class and two weeks from today we'll be celebrating Vijaya Dasyami so we'll have a celebration at that time library will be open after class and we'll conclude with our prayers.